Abu al-Abbas as-Saffah

Abu al-Abbas as-Saffah (äˈbō äl-äbäsˈ äs-säfäˈ) [key], d. 754, 1st Abbasid caliph (749–54). Raised to the caliphate by the armed might of Abu Muslim, he took the reign name as-Saffah [shedder of blood]. Most of the Umayyad family was exterminated, and the reign was one of massacre and force. He was succeeded by his brother al-Mansur.